A 43-year-old man from Buckinghamshire has been found guilty of insurance fraud after falsely claiming on his home insurance policy for a £6,000 Breitling watch he never owned. The case was investigated by the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED), part of the City of London Police, after his insurer, esure, became suspicious that it was a false and fraudulent claim.
Mark Cox of Aylesbury was found guilty of fraud by false representation on Friday 8 January 2016 at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court and is due to be sentenced on Wednesday 13 January.
On 6 May 2014, Cox took out a home insurance policy with esure and, as part of the policy, requested an individual item – a Breitling Navitimer watch – be added to the policy, valued at £6,000. Just five days later, he reported the watch lost to the Forest Patrol in Wendover Woods, claiming that he had lost the watch whilst walking in the woods with his family. He also reported the watch lost to his local police, before contacting his insurer to make a claim on his policy.
When his insurer asked about the watch, he claimed it was a gift from his grandmother, but that he didn’t have any receipt or documentation relating to the watch that would verify ownership. His insurer then asked if he had any photographic evidence of the watch and Cox emailed in three pictures of the watch, which he claimed had been taken two years earlier, but when the digital images were checked, the photos were found to have been created on 2 June 2014 – after Cox had reported the watch as lost.
The claim was discontinued and the case was referred to IFED officers by esure. After further enquiries, Cox was arrested at his home address on 21 April 2015. Officers searched his home address and seized his mobile phone and a watch and box that matched those in the pictures he’d sent to his insurer.
When staff from Breitling examined the watch and box they confirmed that they were fakes, as the watch did not have Breitling’s antiglare glass and the bracelet didn’t match that particular model. When detectives reviewed Cox’s phone, they also found the original photos of the watch that Cox had sent to his insurer dated as being taken on 2 June 2014. Text messages on Cox’s phone around the time of the claim also showed that Cox was experiencing financial difficulties.
Although Cox eventually admitted to officers that the images of the watch he sent to his insurer weren’t of the watch he claimed to have lost, he still maintained his story that he had lost a genuine Breitling watch and was charged with fraud by false representation on 27 July 2015.
Detective Constable Jamie Kirk, from the IFED team, who investigated the case said: “Cox completely fabricated this claim in an attempt to make some quick cash at the expense of his insurer to help ease his financial problems. Even when we had overwhelming evidence that he’d made up the claim, he still tried to maintain that his story was true. This case should serve as a warning to others that making fraudulent insurance claims is not a quick or easy way to make money and that we, in partnership with the insurance industry, will look to prosecute those who attempt to defraud insurers in this way.”
David Pitt, Chief Operating Officer at esure, said: “esure takes fraud very seriously and we are pleased with this verdict. Fraud is not a victimless crime and we work closely with the authorities to ensure that anyone trying to defraud us is given the appropriate punishment.”